516 – Bilal ibn al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) related that “the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) levied sadaqah on the mines of al-Qabaliyyah.” Narrated by Abu Dawud (1).

Hadith grading:
This narration is weak. In Talkhis it is cited that Abu Dawud, al-Tabarani, al-Hakim (1467) and al-Bayhaqi (7425) transmitted it with a continuous chain. Al-Munadhiri judged it to be mursal (the Companion is missing in the chain).

Concerning zakah on minerals, al-Shafi‘i said: “The people of hadith do not consider this report sound, for its chain to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is disconnected.”

Al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak likewise records: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) levied sadaqah on the mines of al-Qabaliyyah,” and al-Dhahabi offered no further comment.

Glossary of the hadith:
• Bilal: Bilal ibn al-Harith al-Muzani, of the tribe of Muzaynah. Today the tribe has moved; its settlements lie in the north-west of al-Qasim and it has merged with the tribe of Harb, whose leaders are the Āl Nuḥayt.
• al-maʿādin (mines): singular maʿdin, from the verb ʿadana (“to remain long in one place”). One says, “ʿadana in a place” when someone stays there permanently; from the same root comes Jannāt ʿAdn (“Gardens of Everlasting Abode”).
A maʿdin is anything that lies within the earth yet is not part of its own substance, such as gold, silver, iron, petroleum, and the like.